Nikolaos Doxaras

Doxaras Nikolaos (Greek Νικόλαος Δοξαράς, * ca 1706/1710 in Kalamata, † March 2, 1775 in Zakynthos) was a Greek painter and son of Panagiotis Doxaras. He was one of the pioneers of the art school of the Ionian Islands.

Life

Nikolaos Doxaras lived in the Ionian Islands Zakynthos, Leucas, Corfu and Kefalonia. In 1729 he put himself at the service of the Venetian army. Later he went to Venice, where he graduated as a military mechanic and as a painter. In 1738 he returned to Leukas and 1745 he became an officer of the gendarmerie of Kefalonia.

Between 1753 and 1762, he worked as an assistant on Zakynthos, in the picturesque decoration of the ceiling of the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin. This work was destroyed in the earthquake of 1953. Drafts of this work have been preserved and are in the National Art Gallery of Greece. An original section, " The Nativity of the Mother of God", preserved in the Byzantine Museum of Zakynthos. Nikolaos Doxaras also painted the ceiling of the church of Saint Minas on the island of Leucas. This work was destroyed by fire.

Nikolaos Doxaras continued the artistic tradition of his father, by replacing the Byzantine icon painting works by Italian -influenced painting. His works were crucial to the orientation of Greek painting to painting in Italy.